Local vet responds to viral "No Ice Water For Dogs" blog post

DENISON, TX -- A local veterinarian has responded to a recently-gone viral blog post that claims a dog almost died after drinking ice water.

The post claims that a dog drank ice water and then severely bloated. The dog was reportedly taken to a veterinarian, who said the cause of the bloat was the ice water.

The post is dated back to 2010, but has resurfaced and is now scaring many dog owners.

News 12 spoke with Veterinarian Dale Butler of Best Friends Animal Hospital in Denison to hear his thoughts on the issue.

Butler said that in his 34 years of practice, he's never seen bloating as a direct result of drinking ice water.

"Could ice water trigger a spasm down the esophagus and possibly the stomach lining? Sure it's possible," he said. "But whether that's the trigger that causes the majority of cases of bloat.. I'd have to disagree with."

He said other things tend to cause bloat in dogs, overeating in large breed dogs.

Butler explained that it's also possible for a dog to ingest too much air while gulping water on a hot day, and it could precipitate bloat.

"So I'm not so sure it's the water temperature, so much as perhaps air," he said.

The blog post said the dog went into emergency surgery so the vet could check on the dog's vital organs.

Butler explained that this was done to make sure the dog's stomach hadn't twisted.

Bloating, he said, can lead to a twisting of the stomach in extreme cases.

The post suggests that the dog's owner gave ice water to help cool the pooch down after a competition.

Butler responded that giving a dog chilly water isn't necessary to help cool it down, and that it only needs cool water.

If a dog is really hot, he said, a fan could cool it off. But don't put a dog in an ice bath, he said.

In addition, as the hot summer months set in, Butler warned to never leave animals in hot cars.

"Just like a baby they will overheat in a matter of minutes and it can be fatal," he said.

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